Riverbrian

Yeah... I don't like this trade much either. But... I'm going to agree with you by disagreeing with you. This isn't a trade that is made by losing teams. Losing teams wouldn't have traded two years of one of the top hitting performers at a hitting scarce position like catcher for two years of a defensive performer at a defensively scarce position like shortstop. Losing teams would have gotten a fairly decent prospect or two. Falvey mentioned that they had "Some Depth" at the catcher position. They HAD some depth with Garver and Jeffers... they don't have depth at catcher anymore and the funny thing is... with the edition of Kiner-Falefa... they still don't have depth at SS either.... so now you don't have depth at two positions instead of one. This trade is like pumping half the water that seeped into the northwest corner of your basement into the dry southwest corner of your basement. If I did that... my wife would ask me why I wrecked a dry corner trying to fix the wet corner and answering "for balance" would not satisfy her. The last time we moved a player from a position of "depth" to shore up a "thin" position... it was Aaron Hicks for John Ryan Murphy. By May we were desperately shoring up that OF depth with Robbie Grossman off the scrap heap plus we got to enjoy Juan Centeno at catcher to boot. Yep... We just did it again.

I sat on a jury once. It was a malpractice case many years ago, I sat down with the best of intentions, I was going to take my responsibility seriously, I was going to listen and I vowed to let fairness be my guide. I didn't know this going in but, I was really disappointed to learn that there is such a thing as a professional expert witness and it's a career. Both sides will fly in an expert witness, these professionals are paid, smooth and they very convincingly take the side they are asked to take and then they fly off to the next venue for the next professional witnessing job in an attempt to influence 12 people at a time. You have to listen to both of them skillfully contradict each other and it's really hard to listen to them once you realize that this is how they make a living. Two men say they're Jesus, one of them must be wrong. Life has become a Mark Goodson, Bill Todman production. You look around the room for Kitty Carlisle and Orson Bean to help you sort through it. This was many years ago but I remember wondering... what happens when this concept hits the media? I mean really hits the media. I don't wonder anymore and I literally weep for what has happened to us. This isn't news... this is telling us how to feel about the news and we don't even recognize the difference anymore.

From what is being reported. This CBA fixes nothing, changes nothing. It has been reduced to a simple allocation of dollars. The money will change from the last CBA but the mechanism will not. As fans, we really shouldn't care about the results at this point nor should we select a hero or villain of the process. It baffles me that fans actually choose sides but clearly we are all exposed to manipulation and frequent victims. All the posturing, all the vitriol, all the threats, all the tweets, all the marketing, all the attempts at influencing our opinions (apparently successful)... after this complete waste of an off-season and now cancellations of games... it turns out that both sides are staring across the table and in full disagreement over money... and money only. Go ahead... care... choose a side and care as hard as you want. I won't. I only know that I am losing baseball and it isn't my fault.

Frankie Montas does not fit my personal (totally subjective) definition of an ace. He is 28 years old and has been traded 3 times. Has only eclipsed 100 innings in the majors once (last year). He also has multiple seasons in the majors and minors with metrics that most would consider poor. He has shown some flashes... I'd love to have him but... Ace? Not in my book. Unless you include players who play for Reno. My personal (totally subjective) list of Aces has 8 names on it and that's all. Ohtani Cole Burnes Woodruff Scherzer Buehler DeGrom Bieber 5 of these 8 were drafted and developed. The other 3 were free agents that the Twins had no chance of signing and will have no chance of signing those types in the future. If you want an ace... Grow your own. Grow a couple while you are at it... like Milwaukee did.

When I stand at the sink. If I just turn on the hot water tap... it is usually too hot. If I just turn on the cold water tap... it is usually too cold. It isn't the right temperature until you starting combining them. A mix of the two is going to be required because you need to draw water from all taps. However, that hasn't been happening. It has been crafty vet after crafty vet. I'm pro mix, I don't have a problem with the crafty vet but I have a problem with letting the crafty vet kill us when they are not as crafty as advertised. The kid can be sent down, the vet typically can't be sent down. It doesn't seem to matter who the GM is... When we sign those lower priced crafty veterans to fill out the rotation, those lower priced crafty veterans are given every opportunity to struggle in the process of re-finding that craft. Happ and Shoemaker were terrible and got way too many starts last year, helping sink the team in the process, resulting in meaningless baseball in September and a delayed discovery of Bailey Ober. In 2019, Martin Perez was inconsistent to put it kindly and remained in the rotation all year at the expense of Randy Dobnak getting those starts. Come playoff time, they decide that Martin Perez was indeed not the guy and they hand the ball to Randy Dobnak in October but not in August. In 2018... Oh boy 2018. The year we lost Nick Anderson for Matt Belisle. Yeah... I've jumped off the cause and effect cliff but I directly tie the loss of Nick Anderson in the off season to Matt Belisle. The team was out of contention. Nick Anderson was striking out two batters an inning in Rochester, he was an upcoming 40 man roster decision and THEY SIGNED BELISLE to help them in a lost season keeping Anderson in Rochester. Not being allowed to strike out two batters an inning in Minnesota led to a low level trade to Miami where he struck out two batters an inning and our search for bullpen talent continues with a new crafty vet after crafty vet, year after year. Also, the crafty Logan Morrison being beyond terrible in 2018 and getting his name in the lineup card every day while they waited for him not to be terrible.... which never happened. I'm pro mix... it just hasn't been mixed. I don't have a problem with the signing of Morrison or Happ, I have a problem with the doubling down on Logan Morrison after it becomes obvious that the signing was a mistake. We are not going to sign Garrit Cole. All of us should realize that by now. We will have to grow our own Garrit Cole. Happ and Shoemaker types have for decades blocked the sunlight.

The choice is simple. A. Commit to the young starters - Right now - All of them. B. Fill up the rotation with Odorizzi, Bundy, Happ, Shoemaker, Pineda types forever more.

I don't know if the development issue has been rectified for the future but looking back over the last decade... The answer to the question is without a doubt... Yes... Absolutely Yes that the Twins have (at least had) a development problem. Let's see what the future brings. I know this article is specific to the SS position but this isn't just a SS thing... the Twins have had a development problem period. SS's, OF, SP, RP, you name it. Yeah, we've produced some major league players that we can all point to... But... that's simple to do. All teams produce major league ball players by simply putting a major league uniform on them and writing their name in the lineup. To get a grasp on the depth of this development dry spell over the past decade (that I pray the Twins are getting out of) you just need to look at what the other teams are willing to pay for our developed players. The Twins have failed to increase the value of their players. No farm raised Twin has hit free agency in position to haul in a mega contract... No Manny Machado's, No Garrit Cole's, No Corey Seager's, Not even an Eric Hosmer type mega contract value. This is a failure to increase the value of their players which is a direct reflection on organizational development. Want to start a rebuild? they've had nothing of significance produced to trade to other teams for prospects in order to hasten that rebuild... No farm raised Twin has interested the other teams enough to part with their top tier prospects over the past decade... at least until Berrios came along. Where are the home grown Minnesota Twins superstars? Haven't see one since Joe Mauer. Due to sub-par years the draft position has been good but yet... where are the superstars? It could be argued that Byron Buxton is a superstar but he just signed a deal for 7 years at 100 Million. That isn't superstar money and in the end, it expresses his value. Name a farm raised Twin that a typical fantasy baseball player would have taken in the first two rounds in a 12 team league. I can't think of any. Our development has frankly sucked... period. I'm hoping that it is getting better.

Typical behavior from big boys sitting across from each other at the big boy table, fighting over what us little guys provide them. Ultimately... both teams are using us little guys as leverage, fighting over what we provide them (Money). The little guys who provide the revenue will care if the season doesn't start on time so you better cave with whatever proposal before it's too late. Whatever proposal they agree with, will not improve our experience... just simply provide the same experience we had before. The threat of our not having an experience at all are the bullets they are both using in their guns. Personally, I'd appreciate it if they would stop using me as a gun against each other and I think it would be wonderful if the whole bunch of us little guys simply stopped falling prey to the court of public opinion marketing and just stopped picking sides like it matters, stopped joining a team like we are in the room privy to the detail, but... we all know there is no chance of that happening. They suck us in and we willing allow ourselves to be sucked in. Is Pawndom a word? It should be... we are willing pawns in the kingdom every time we raise our pom poms for one side or the other. Passionately picking sides in this sort of thing is like passionately choosing a broken left leg or a broken right leg.

Fantastic Post. WIth a Dave Mason reference thrown in perfectly. Feelin Alright.

A minor league signing? No one gets away with that on social media. Someone has to get hurt, someone has to pay for even attempting such things. Social media eggs are thrown. Awful things are typed.

If what is reported is close to accurate... Nothing will have changed other than a possible financial uptick for the players. Which as you point out... can easily be rendered pointless soon after the ink is dry if the clubs want to. If this is the result... It will be a waste of an off-season in my mind.

If the reports are correct... Adjustments to structure such as service time, tanking, etc are no longer part of the discussion leaving compensation as almost the entire focus of the current disagreement. I'm shocked, shocked that all this drama is simply boiling down to money.

Regardless, if the elevator goes up or down. He has two options left. The Team doesn't have to ride with him down.

I'm under the impression that these days, opinions are more likely to harden than change and I include myself when I say that. Personally, like most people, I like it when the research that I do ends up supporting the conclusion that I had already drawn before I started researching. ? Those walls just don't come down no matter how hard you put a shoulder into it. The shoulder usually gives out first. ?

The definition of success is quite variable from individual to individual. It's a question that must be asked in order to understand the individual parameters. TwinsDR2021 provided his definition and I appreciate that for understanding of his goal. Personally, I feel his bar is way too high because only a couple of teams would clear it. My personal bar is also high in my opinion but quite lower in comparison. If the Twins could get to the point where they are playing games that matter in September every year... I'd be satisfied and I wouldn't be asking for much more (Other than a World Series title every once in awhile because I like parades). If I'm watching a game on September 28th and winning the game is edge of the seat extremely important for playoff implications or of course the Twins have already clinched... I'm satisfied. Then let's see how the ball bounces in the small sample size that is the playoffs. You and I agree that you must get in the first door (Making the Playoffs) first and currently 10 out of 30 teams (that are all trying) make it each year. There are different sources that are all important when it comes to the players that make up a competitive roster. Free Agency can't be ignored, trades are vital, the farm system is critical. None of these avenues should be ignored but in my opinion, there is only one thing that will clearly help a front office reach the playoffs consistently. That is development. You have to increase value of the players who dot your roster no matter how they are acquired. Trades for example. Development is still critical in every trade you make and perhaps the most important thing. It seems to me that trades these days could almost be automated (I said almost). Each player has a value that all 30 teams basically agree with. Trading teams will match up assessed value and a deal is struck and we as fans get to sit back and judge subjectively, however, while we are judging, there is really nothing to judge, the value was most likely equal when the trade occured and probably considered equal by all 30 teams using the same value system. If players were cars you could basically stick a monroney sticker on them. This player has 80,000 miles, AWD, Adaptive Cruise Control, Heated Steering Wheel and is priced at $37,890. The only way a team can ensure that they win the majority of trades that they make is by developing the player or players acquired and therefore increasing the value of who was acquired beyond the equal value that the trade originated at. If they can't increase the value of the acquisitions, they will be the loser in the deal when history and hindsight come a calling. The Dodgers have money but they got the increasing the value of their players thing down so they could do it without the money in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, Money is extremely helpful but the biggest gift that money provides is the ability to absorb the David Price and Jacoby Ellsbury contracts and not be crippled by the bad money draining the good money pool.

I'm just trying to follow along at home but I'm finding the potential definitions blurry. With all respect I have to ask for clarity. What qualifies as "Sustained Playoff Success" and which teams qualify for that designation?

For X-mas a friend of mine gave me a cheap bottle of vodka. I really don't care for Vodka much but with the right ingredients I do enjoy a Bloody Mary. And... It turns out that cheap vodka is also a decent stain remover. The primary purpose of Vodka is to get you drunk as you cross the Ukraine border but it can serve a broader purpose. ?

If Polanco is viewed as a 2B only. This means we have 0 SS's on the roster. I can see the Twins acquiring a SS but under no circumstances do I see the Twins acquiring 2 players who can play SS. Therefore... Polanco will probably be at lowest #2 on the SS depth chart. Does anyone here have 162 game expectations for the acquired SS... whoever that may be?

I can't (or shouldn't) speak for Nick. However, I believe that you are making the same point he was trying to make. You clearly illustrate that assembling a winning baseball team isn't dependent upon having a bWar superstar at SS. I believe Nick was making that same point by stating that the Twins actually won baseball games with Polanco at SS. So... while recognizing that 2B is a better fit for Polanco it certainly doesn't mean that the wheels will completely come off with him at SS either. Speaking for myself now, I think the team was better at the SS and 2B positions overall with Polanco and Arraez than they were with Simmons and Polanco. I'm also not endorsing this and calling it progress either. If the Twins want to trade for Mondesi or sign Story, I'd be all for it. However, if Polanco ends up back at SS out of necessity, I think the sun will still rise tomorrow. ?

It does seem as if both sides are using the ticking clock as their primary leverage.

WIth all these new electronics, I find myself messing around with them trying to figure out what they can do. It doesn't take long for an adjustment here and an adjustment there to make things horrible with no clear path back. I am always grateful for the default setting.

How do I choose between Caramel and Butterscotch? It's like asking which one of my kids do I love more. It's harder to find Butterscotch so I'll choose Butterscotch I guess. What was the question again? Oh Yeah... Pitching I choose pitching because of scarcity.

Agree with you on Terry Ryan... I would build him a statue to honor his dedication and service with my club but would not consider him for a position anywhere near the current or future front office. The Twins have made tremendous strides on the development side since he has been replaced. As for the roster moves that most of us spend our time debating. I believe those moves are typically obvious things that most GM's would do and they are moves that are necessitated by the limitations of the roster space. For example, Player A has to be placed on the 40 man roster or they lose them. Because Player A goes on, Player B has to be traded or cut. Player B has a value that is pretty much agreed upon by all 30 teams and that player will return similar value from all 30 teams. If no one wants player B... he is cut. Most of us have a good idea who Player B will be when Player A comes along. The moves are obvious, the variance of the return will be tight. The individual roster moves made by GM's are pretty uniform and predictable to a degree. The best thing a front office can do to differentiate them from the other front offices they compete against is increase the value of the talent they have and produce more of it. You can't increase the value of your players when Trevor Plouffe is good enough to be your every day 3B until he reaches free agency only to find that he can't find work after that. Falvey and Lavine are doing much better at this in my opinion.

A Funny thing happens when players are provided an opportunity to become major leaguers. With opportunity, they often do. You can only commit so many 40 man roster spaces to pitching before you don't have enough shortstops to cover or before pitching spillage starts to occur. Just glancing at the queue on the 40 man roster tells me all I need to know. It tells me that the Twins don't have the roster space to sign multiple 1 year deals with the Shoemaker types any more without losing young arms to do so. We also all know that the Twins will not be signing Max Scherzer types. I personally hope and pray that Balazovic types will be chosen over Shoemaker types consistently from here on out. So... the path they are heading seems clear to me, Opportunity is coming for the young arms and with opportunity, the number of pitchers who will meet the 750 innings criteria will be high because opportunity is high. Just don't ask me which ones. ?

My personal subjective opinion is that I'm happy with them. My opinion is that they are making progress in the right direction and yes I was watching last year and am still saying that. ?